New Game Plus!
by Expresso Patronum
Summary: Near the end of his life, Noctis meets a new being. One that saves him from his untimely demise and change the Eos as he knows it. Follow him as Noctis ascends the throne again for a second time, with new and old abilities and friends! !TIMETRAVEL Slight!LIAG !AU !NocLuna Slight!NocHarem RATING MAY CHANGE. UPDATE: PATCH 1.02.00 - Minor nerfs in Chapter 1 and added CHAPTER 2!
1. Prologue: A Prince Reborn

**AN: An attempt at a new fanfiction. I just recently beat the game and I absolutely loved it. Kind of hated the fact that there was no New Game + though, really wish they did it. I want to play the game over, but the annoying task of going back and getting everything, ugh. But I will probably do that anyway. So, here's a prologue to my new fanfiction. I tried to keep it is canon as possible. I may make mistakes, since ya know I'm not perfect.**

 **THIS IS NOT A FULL "LIFE IS A GAME" fanfiction. Will it contain elements? Yes. But it will not be one where Noctis gets completely overpowered simply due to the fact that he can grind his levels. He will be able to grind and every thing, but it is not the the extreme like some other "Life is a game" fanfictions. I am not hating on those fandoms, I actually thoroughly enjoy them. Anyways, enjoy.**

 **Please note: I do not have a BETA reader, and everything is simply Alpha read (read by myself) I am also not an English major.**

 **Noctis: Hey boss.**

 **EP: Stop breaking the fourth wall.**

 **Noctis: But- we have to do a fun disclaimer.**

 **EP: That's so meta.**

 **Noctis: But you always enjoy it when other writers do it.**

 **EP: B-baka I do not.**

 **Noctis: Boss, are you a tsundere?**

 **EP: Noctis, leave.**

 **Noctis: The boss does not own Final Fantasy XV. He is simply just a writer writing because he enjoys it. Peace out!**

* * *

Fatigue. It was all Noctis felt as he watched his father's spirit drive his sword through that bastard Ardyn. He watched as his opponent's body burst into a sea of white feathers. His vision blurred and he felt himself drop to his knees. 'Rest… at last.' He thought as he felt himself felt his own body fade. He felt the Ring of Lucii's power continue to drain him of his remaining life force, the payment for his final attack.

Death. It was an inevitable fact of life. Noctis felt himself fall, as the rest of his energy left him. "Damn…" He whispered with his remaining strength, as his memories seemed to flash before his eyes. His adventures, his Kingdom, his father, and "Luna." He said with the last of his strength. 'Would they meet again?' he wondered as he felt Death's embrace.

"I apologize child, for her, I am not." A soft voice above him said. He small amounts his mana flow into his being as his body was flipped around. Noctis, after receiving this sudden energy opened his eyes. He saw a woman whom had beauty that could be compared to few. She had blazing red hair, a petite hourglass figure and long legs. She outfit was a short dress that consisted of what seemed to be red and blue feathers and her body was covered in white bandages except for her right eye and mouth. Her piercing yellow eyes that seemed to look into his very soul was what stood out the most.

"Who ar-" his voice croaked, she placed a delicate finger against his lips. He watched as she grabbed his head in her hands. She seemed familiar to him.

He didn't resist, not like he could if he wanted to as she cradled his head and laid it on her lap. "Rest, for now King." She whispered soothingly into her ear. "For the battle is won, yet the battle is lost." His eyes widened. "Are you surprised?" She asked. "All of Eos as lost the Oracle bloodline, for line ended with the death of Ravus and Oracle Lunafreya." She stated. "The Plague of the Stars has been stopped and daylight has returned, but the Kingdom of Lucis is left without a King. While the daemons do not plague the lands of Eos as much as before, there is never light without darkness." He gave her a weak knowing nod as she ran her fingers through her hair caressing his face. "Lucis and Leide, are unprotected and Accordo lost a lot after the summoning of that fool Leviathan at their capital city. Niflheim, even with their many losses in the final battle are by the most stable and influential power as of now and they will be for a long while," she continued. "And your three friends… have fallen." She whispered softly her facial expression softening as she felt his body freeze up. "Now do you understand what I mean?" He merely nodded.

"B-but wh-at can I d-do n-now?" He managed to croak out. Even talking took a lot of effort at this moment.

"Live, my King." She whispered as she stared into his eyes. He gave her a quizzical look. "How?" She said as if confirming his thoughts, an amused tone in her voice. "By going back to the past, my dear." She said as if it was not the craziest thing he has ever heard. "Now, child, I shall tell you it is very well within my power, but let me ask you this." Her brows furrowed and her expression turning serious. "Are you prepared to face every thing again?" She asked. "Things will change, based on your choices. You may save your father and your friends, you may even save the Oracle Lunafreya and even your mother."

He clenched his fist, 'he could?'

She nodded as if reading his thoughts. "But maybe Cid and Cindy will perish before you meet them, or the father of the family that lived miles away from you when they were able to live and prosper in this timeline. The responsibility of this is a large one, are you prepared to carry this responsibility?"

When he first heard her proposition he was ready to accept without hesitation, but he already knew what it felt like to have the weight of Eos on his shoulders, could he bear that responsibility knowing he may fail again?

"Love," she whispered gently causing his train of thought to break. He looked up at her face. "A hard choice?" He nodded in response. "You must remember, the weight of Eos does not solely weigh on you. While you are at the center and bear the largest burden, you have your friends there to support you. And this time, I shall be here to support you as well." She whispered gently her hands continuing to run through his black locks.

He gave her another quizzical look. "Who am I you wonder?" She asked amused. "The Astral of Earth, Titan, the Astral of Storms, Ramuh, Astral of the Ocean, Leviathan, Astral of Ice, Shiva, Astral of Fire, Ifrit, and the Astral of the Skies, Bahamut. They are the six Astrals that your current peoples worship, but there have been more. Some have faded, some have been asleep for millennia and some are like me, simply uninterested." She stated. "That was until I watched your young friend, Cabbage, I believe you named her, found herself caring for you." She said causing him to remember his Carbuncle friend that led him through his dreamscape. "And later, when my sister Shiva, found herself growing fond of you. She often found your devotion for the Oracle, genuine and rather sweet. So I started to watch, interested." Her hands stopped playing with his hair and she cupped his face. "Then I watched as you fought against all odds. Not losing hope even after your ten years of solitude. You then defeated that buffoon Ifrit is not an easy feat, even with the help of Bahamut and Shiva; at least for a human like yourself. And you defeated Ardyn a man that is practically immortal and could rival the power of a minor Astral through shear willpower alone."

She gave him a smile. "My name is Anima, the Astral of Life and Death, some may even call me Reaper." Anima claimed as his eyes widened. "These beautiful eyes are much like my own." Her voice is soothing, "does it pain you, to see death?" He bit his lip and shook his head. "Does it drive you to grow stronger and protect those who may perish?" His eyes grew stern as he nodded. "Of course, that is your answer, or I would not have found myself fallen for you." The most powerful Astral said a genuine smile appeared on her lips. Noctis blushed and diverted his eyes. "I am not asking you to replace the Oracle with myself, for your devotion and love for her was one of the reasons you caught my attention. But I plead that you leave room for here," she pointed to his heart. "And here." Anima said as she leant down and placed a soft chaste kiss against his forehead. The shy King continued to blush and nodded.

"T-try, no p-promises," he joked his voice still barely audible as he smiled at the Astral. She smiled back.

"So am I correct in assuming this means you are willing to go back?" She asked softly, her smile transitioning into a more sad expression. He nodded, looking at her with determined eyes. "Then I must warn you. Ardyn will be more powerful if things go differently this time around." Anima said her expression turning serious. "The ten years of solitude worked in your favor more than you believe. While ten years to him maybe feel like a minute, he was not prepared for you to grow as strong as you did and he underestimated you. This time not only you have to grow stronger, but you must help your friends grow if you wish for them to live. Things will be different and you must be prepared; unexpected people may end up being your friend, but some old friends may be a new enemy."

"I will send you back to your fourth birthday. You will have a little over two years to try and change your mother's fate, and that is your first task." He nodded in acknowledgement.

Her hands suddenly gripped his shoulders roughly, causing him to gasp in pain. He looked at her face, and her glowing yellow eye contained raw emotions with what Noctis could only determine as love and fear. "Do. Not. Fail." Her voice was also raw with emotions. She cleared her throat, a pink hue appearing in the gabs of her bandages. "I apologize, it has been a long while since I have felt… such strong emotions."

Noctis lifted his arm, flinching at how sore his body was, and stroked her cheek wiping a lone tear that seemed to leak. "I-it is okay… to cry." He croaked softly. "I-I won't fail, I promise." He said with as much determination as he could muster.

She gave him a sweet smile and nodded. "Are you ready, hero?" Anima whispered as another tear seemed to escape her unbandaged eye falling on his face. He nodded. "Then you have my blessing." She said softly as she took her hand and brushed the loose strands of her hair from her face. Anima leaned down, and placed her soft lips against his.

Anima's lips lingered on his for a while before he felt her reluctantly pull away. He opened his eyes to find what looked like a pop-up from King's Knight appear in front of him.

 **⟨** **⟨Welcome to the Anima System** **⟩** **⟩**

 **Items Received!**

 **1x Heart of Anima Lv.2**

 **1x Blessing of the Goddess of Life and Death Lv.2**

 **1x Blessing of the Carbuncle Lv. MAX**

 **1x Blessings of the Astrals**

 **⟨** **⟨** **Blessing** **of the Goddess of Life and** **Death** **⟩** **⟩**

 **Only Noctis Lucis Caelum benefits this item. No one has ever received this.**

 **Lv. 1 - Traveling back in the past, the only of this item will retain his old memories and skills.**

 **Lv. 2 - This item will increase all stats by 50 percent.**

 **Additional effects will be gained as the bond between the Goddess and Noctis increases.**

* * *

 **⟨** **⟨** **Heart** **of Anima** **⟩** **⟩**

 **Only Noctis Lucis Caelum may benefit from this item. No one has ever received this. The owner of this item has earned the love of a Goddess whom has long ignored all of Eos. They will be able to communicate with the Goddess of Life and Death when either of the two wishes.**

 **Lv. 1 - Telepathic communication is possible.**

 **Lv. 2 – Dream communication is possible.**

 **Additional effects will be gained as the bond between the Goddess and Noctis increases.**

* * *

 **⟨** **⟨** **Blessing of the Carbuncle** **⟩** **⟩**

 **Only Noctis Lucis Caelum and his party members may benefit from this item.**

 **Lv. 1 – In an extremely dire situation Noctis may teleport him and his friends out of conflict.**

 **Lv. 2 – Noctis warp strikes and phasing cost 40% less of its original value.**

 **The Carbuncle Astral, although small is known for being a strong caster its blessing has given Noctis the ability to use abilities more often without depleting his mana pool.**

 **Lv. MAX – Noctis may summon Cabbage at any time.**

 **Through the adventure of the dreamscape and Noctis's adventure, Cabbage the Carbuncle has deemed Noctis as a true friend and is will to fight alongside him throughout all his adventures.**

* * *

 **⟨** **⟨** **Blessing of the Astrals** **⟩** **⟩**

 **The owner of this item has received the blessing and acknowledgement of the Six.**

 **Summon Titan (Locked)**

 **Summon Ramuh (Locked)**

 **Summon Leviathan (Locked)**

 **Summon Ifrit (Locked)**

 **Summon Shiva (Locked)**

 **Summon Bahamut (Locked)**

 **WARNING: DUE TO UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES ALL SUMMONS HAVE BEEN LOCKED. TO UNLOCK RECEIVE THE BLESSING OF THE ASTRALS. ?R! S?%M !S M*$ B# !# C% $#!**

He could feel his eyes twitch, her blessing was completely overpowered, something as strong as this in King's Knight probably had a drop rate of one out of a zillion, hell even the Cabbage's blessing is over powered. He almost laughed at himself thinking about how much of a pain receiving all the blessings again was going to be. He stared at the last part of the ⟨⟨Blessing of the Astrals⟩⟩, it seemed to be encrypted, did he need to level up to be able to read it? He laughed to himself thinking of one of Prompto's lines during their travels; "It's like we're in a RPG!" he would say every time they discovered a new area or a dungeon.

"You are ready," Anima said suddenly as she pulled him off her lap. "Go, be safe…" she whispered softly her one uncovered eye red from holding her tears. Her sad expression disappeared and as it she held her resolve. Noctis, wiped a tear that made its way down his cheek and gave her a nodded grabbing at his resolve and putting on a face. A bright light shined beneath the two of them and he felt a strong tug before it pulled him roughly towards it.

He continued to stare at her as he moved further and further away. "Don't go…" and he watched her resolve shatter as a sob escaped her mouth.

His resolve broke too as tears cascaded down his face. Noctis mustered as much strength as he could. "Thank you!" He yelled. "I'll see you soon, don't worry!" Noctis was forced to close his eyes as the world around him shined a blinding white.

* * *

The world dimmed down and Noctis screamed as he shot forward from his laying position. The room he lay in was dark, he couldn't make anything out. "Was it all a dream?" he whispered to himself.

C _lick_

The sound of the doorknob turning alerted him and his instinct took over. Noctis immediately jumped to his feet and tried to conjure a weapon, he found himself pulling out a wooden sword. 'What the-' he thought before the light from the opened door caused him to flinch.

"Noctis, did you sleep with that filthy thing on your bed again? You know how dirty it is." Noctis felt his heart race. No. It couldn't be. His eyes widened as he dropped the sword on the ground, forgotten.

"Mother…" he whispered softly as he saw him mother, whom he hasn't seen in over 20 years stand in front of him. Tears welled up in his eyes as he ran as fast as his little legs to take him and threw his arms around the Queen of Lucis's legs. A sob escaped his mouth as he felt his mother lean down and wrap her own arms around him.

"Must've been quite the nightmare, son, you are usually never this affectionate." The recognizable voice of his father said from the hallway. Noctis pulled away from his mother and ran towards his father, also giving him a hug as he nodded vigorously.

"It was a really bad one." He said as he sniffled into the King's cloak, his father obviously not caring as he hugged his son.

"It was only a dream, son, you are home and safe." He old man said as he rubbed his back soothingly.

"Yes, I am home." He whispered softly as he pulled away. Noctis looked at the mirror in his room, the light from the hallway shining brightly enough in the room to show him his reflection. Anima kept her promise. Noctis clenched his fist, as he looked into the mirror determined. Now he would keep his.

The memories of his past life flashed through his mind. 'This time, I'll save you all.'

* * *

 **AN: Well, that was the prologue and I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know if you want more. ^^ Leave reviews, favorites and everything. Thanks**

 **Please note: I do not have a BETA reader, and everything is simply Alpha read (read by myself) I am also not an English major.**


	2. Prologue: Prodigy

**EP: Hello everyone, it's been awhile hasn't it? I hope you all had great holidays. I did write a bit over break, but I finished finals like four days before Christmas. Then there was dealing with family, and being forced to go to church and forced to visit relatives and blah blah. I wrote as often as I could, but writer's block is a real thing. I'm not trying to make an excuse for taking so long to update, but hey I never said I was going to be on a schedule anyway.**

 **Noctis: And that's why you don't have a betareader.**

 **EP: True, but even if I did have one that means they would have to wait for my writing to finish as well as wait for the Beta to finish editing. I try to make as little of mistakes as possible, but I'm not perfect and I really hope you all don't expect me to be.**

 **EP: I'm going to use some of this space to comment back on some reviews that were left and concerns people had. I won't call any one out specifically, so if y'all could read it would be very appreciated.**

 **1\. Why is Noctis sent so far back in time?**

 **A: Why? Because there is so little known about his childhood. This was one of the main reasons I had so much trouble writing. I try to use as much canon information as possible while I write, unless I specially state that the characters are OOC or its extremely AU like a different planet.**

 ** So, let's discuss, what do we know about Noctis's childhood:(IF YOU"RE GOING TO READ ANY OF MY A/N READ THIS CAUSE I DON'T WANT COMPLAINTS) **

**1\. He met Prompto in Elementary School**

 **2\. He met Luna after his mother died.**

 **3\. 12 years after he last saw Luna is when the game starts. He is 20 at the beginning of the game, so we can estimate he's around 7/8 during his mother's passing.**

 **4\. Gladio and Ignis are only 2-3 years older than him.**

 **And to continue off those notes. Why is he sent back so far? Because we can assume his mother died while he was around 7-8. This gives a couple of years of training with prior knowledge to the attack on him and his mother. I'm fairly certain I've stated this before, yet I still got some people asking me why he was sent so far back. Did you expect me to send him all the way back with the full extent of his abilities?**

 **2\. Who is in the Harem?**

 **A: I don't want to answer specifically. But I did specify in the summary, although it was very vague, that it was going to be a "Small Harem" Keep in my that in Anima found Noctis's devotion for Lunafreya despite the 12 years of no physical contact whatsoever endearing. I'm not going to just make him sleep around with every female in the game. While this may disappoint you, it stays fairly true to the characters and I'm not going to apologize for that. If you're going to argue that he falls for Anima, well she gave him a fucking second chance to live why would he not fall for her. She literally reset time so he could fix his shit and save everyone.**

 **3\. Noctis was meant to die, so why am I upset about that?**

 **A: Yes, he was meant to die. But why? I found this point in the plot of the game fucking stupid. His sacrifice is meant to wipe out all of the daemons, but lets be real. We all know no matter what happens evil rises. When a whole entire country loses it's military and its leaders what are they going to do especially after 10 years of complete chaos where the sun never rose. And also, I stated that Anima is the Goddess of Life and Death, who do you think has a say in his destiny more? Yes Bahamut chose him as the King of King's and is known as the Strongest of the Astrals. But let's be real who do you think is stronger in this situation I created, Bahamut or Anima?**

 **Noctis: Whoa calm down there boss. I don't think they meant to be rude.**

 **EP: Yeah, yeah sorry, sorry. I just got a bit irritated when some of the same questions kept rising up. It's hard enough with my idea. I try to cover as meant plotholes as possible, but I'm only one person. It's also a bit embarassing asking real life friends to read any of this and tell me what they think and if they have any questions. Me raging at my readers is just a way to express some of the frustrations I have while writing. While I appreciate reviews and PMs about my work, I'd like it to be a bit more constructive and not looking down on me like I'm stupid.**

 **Prompto: Aww, you're not stupid boss. Well not really stupid at least.**

 **EP: Prompto, get out of here I haven't even introduced you yet! Anyway, thanks for all the love that this fanfiction has received. I'll continue writing and hope that you all continue to support it. ^.^ Sorry if my message earlier was a little passive aggressive.**

 **Prompto: Well, I guess I better say that boss EP does not own Final Fantasy XV, he is simply a writer that enjoyed the game and the characters.**

* * *

Noctis snuggled up against his mother and he felt her arms wrap around him engulfing him in warmth. His eyes closed, and he quickly fell asleep.

Noctis gasped for air as he opened up his eyes. His bright dreamscape he remembered from his previous life appeared before him.

* _Trill*_

Noctis looked down and found Cabbage staring up at him. He knelt down and scratched behind the Astral's ear taking a seat on the dirt floor of his dreamscape. He looked around wondering if Anima would appear. Noctis did not actually know how to reach her, did she just come into his dreams by herself or did he have to call her?

"Anima?" He yelled out questioningly. He waited, and there was no reply. "Anima" he called out again and again there was no response.

He pondered for a moment thinking of what he could do here. It was safe to assume his lucid dreams were meant part of the so-called ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ that Anima herself named even if it was not anything special to anyone who has ever gamed. But this was a good time to test things out.

'Inventory,' he thought and to his pleasant surprise a recognizable menu popped up. He looked at all the tabs that were available, ⟨⟨Weapons⟩⟩, ⟨⟨Armor⟩⟩, ⟨⟨Accessories⟩⟩, ⟨⟨Items⟩⟩, and ⟨⟨Key Items⟩⟩. He used his fingers and clicked on the ⟨⟨Weapons⟩⟩ tab and it looked like the only weapons that were available was a ⟨⟨Toy Hammer⟩⟩, ⟨⟨Wooden Sword⟩⟩, and ⟨⟨Toy Knives⟩⟩. Each weapon seemed to have its respective stats, as well as different damage types much like a usual RPG. It also looked like within his weapons tab he could sword the items by their type from elemental damage to the weapon classification.

He switched over to the ⟨⟨Armor⟩⟩ tab. This tab was similar, except instead of different weapon classifications it was different articles of clothing. It looked like everything in the tab was clothes he owned, along with a ⟨⟨Transmogrification⟩⟩ option which was extremely useful if he wanted to appear _normal_. He wondered to what extent the ⟨⟨Transmog⟩⟩ went to. He looked through his current armors and found that a lot of his clothes from his previous life came along with him unlike his weapons. He switched over to the ⟨⟨Transmog⟩⟩ option and equipped his black silk pajamas over his usual daily attire he was in. He felt the silk rub against his skin, and his arms were covered by the long-sleeve top. 'Stats' he thought as ⟨⟨Character⟩⟩ menu popped into view next to his ⟨⟨Inventory⟩⟩ menu. He continued to equip and unequip different clothing as well as mess around with the ⟨⟨Transmog⟩⟩ options to see how his stats changed. Noctis concluded that ⟨⟨Transmog⟩⟩ did not change his stats, which was how it normally worked, but he didn't want to assume that. He also realized that he could make his accessories transparent or give them a ⟨⟨Transmog⟩⟩ as well. The ⟨⟨Transmog⟩⟩ seemed to work much like other RPGs where they simply changed the appearance and feel of the armor the person was wearing. He could easily be wearing mithril armor, but make it so it's appearance was not a giant bulk of armor. He wondered if it changed things like the weight of the clothing too. He scrolled through his inventory, but could not find anything to help test this theory, so he pushed the thought aside for now.

Noctis quickly skimmed his ⟨⟨Accessories⟩⟩ tab, much like a normal RPG he could equip a neckpiece, two rings, earrings, an anklet, a bracelet and a cloak. The only item he had in there was his ⟨⟨King's Cloak⟩⟩it belonged to the outfit ⟨⟨Kingly Raiment⟩⟩ which was like the outfit his father wore in public; he found it in a preset outfit he found in his ⟨⟨Armor⟩⟩ tab that along with his ⟨⟨Prince's Fatigues (Adult)⟩⟩ he could not equip. This was most likely due to the fact that they were meant for his older self, and not his miniature self. Oddly enough he found that he could equip his ⟨⟨Royal Raiment⟩⟩ preset. He couldn't remember how he got it, he wondered if Anima somehow slipped it into him before he started here in this timeline.

Noctis looked over his ⟨⟨Items⟩⟩ tab to discover he had a handful of ⟨⟨Potions⟩⟩ on himself as well as a pair of ⟨⟨Phoenix Down⟩⟩ which would be very useful when he starts his training. He then switched tabs to his ⟨⟨Key Items⟩⟩ and discovered the items he received before Anima sent him back. He examined his ⟨⟨Heart of Anima Lv. 2⟩⟩ and the same window he saw popped up.

⟨⟨ **Heart of Anima** **⟩⟩**

 **Only Noctis Lucis Caelum may benefit from this item. No one has ever received this. The owner of this item has earned the love of a Goddess whom has long ignored all of Eos. They will be able to communicate with the Goddess of Life and Death when either of the two wishes.**

 **Lv. 1 – Telepathic communication is possible. (Insufficient mana - limited access)**

 **Lv. 2 – Dream communication is possible. (Insufficient mana – Not possible)**

 **Additional effects will be gained as the bond between the Goddess and Noctis increases.**

'So that's why… insufficient mana?' he pondered. He knew that attacking via ⟨⟨Warp-strikes⟩⟩ and dodging while ⟨⟨Phasing⟩⟩ used up his mana, but he never actually knew how he built up his ⟨⟨Mana Pool⟩⟩. He also knew that ⟨⟨Blessing of the Carbuncle⟩⟩ gave him a significant advantage over his past life giving him a 40% mana reduction on those things, but that didn't help in in this situation.

"Do I just… train?" he asked questioningly to his little Astral friend questioningly.

Cabbage looked at him with a loud _trill_ , and Noctis wasn't sure, but he somehow knew that she was saying 'yes' to him.

He scratched his head, slightly confused. "And how ex-"Cabbage jumped off of his lap and nudged him with her head. He blinked as got up following her as she walked away. Somehow, he understood what the small Astral was saying to him. It was weird.

"Oh," Noctis said as he stared at the gorgeous scenery. He knew it was his dream, but he felt like he had no control over what occurred here. Another trill came from Cabbage causing Noctis to look at her. She sat in front of him as the two stood in front of natural circular arena. The area was fairly large, it was surrounded by large clifflike structures that looked about 30 meters from one end to the other. The side opposite of the two was covered in water, even from their distance Noctis could see the crystal blue lake water glimmering from the sunlight. Cabbage made several more noises and nudged inwards.

'Imagine an enemy, the more detail the better. Take it easy.' He somehow translated. Noctis closed his eyes, as he did what he was told. He pictures a tall daemon that carried a samurai sword. It was a daemon that if his predictions were right it would be around low to mid-tier in terms of power. He looked through his past memories for more information, he tried to remember most of his encounters with the daemon, but he made a mistake. He thought of ⟨⟨The Boulves Mines⟩⟩ and all of a sudden a weak Bushido daemon was suddenly replaced with one of the strongest of its kind; one that the ⟨⟨Hunters⟩⟩ named ⟨⟨Aramusha⟩⟩.

Noctis heard a familiar sound, his instincts kicked in and he whipped his arm calling out to his ⟨⟨Wooden Sword⟩⟩. Nothing appeared in his hand.

"Shit!" He exclaimed as he watched, what some would call a ⟨⟨Dungeon Boss⟩⟩ in a RPG emerge from the black pool bubbling on the ground. Noctis panicked. His eyes darted around his surroundings. He saw so many places he could ⟨⟨Warp-strike⟩⟩ to, but there was no way his ⟨⟨Wooden Sword⟩⟩ could take that impact. He couldn't even call up the damned weapon. He looked at ⟨⟨Aramusha⟩⟩ and he saw a bar above its head.

⟨⟨Auto-Scan Skill acquired⟩⟩

"Awesome," he muttered to himself, it was a very useful skill as he saw the bar above his opponent's head appear to grow larger.

⟨⟨Lv. ? Aramusha⟩⟩

HP: ?

MP: ?

Now Noctis knew he really messed up. He watched ⟨⟨Aramusha⟩⟩ sheathe its sword and crouched down. Noctis braced himself to ⟨⟨Phase⟩⟩ dodge it.

 _*Slink_ *

Pain was all Noctis could feel, when he realized he could no longer phase either. His vision turned red, as he finally noticed his own ⟨⟨HP⟩⟩ and ⟨⟨MP⟩⟩ bar in the bottom right corner. His ⟨⟨MP⟩⟩ bar was half the size of his ⟨⟨HP⟩⟩ bar and he watched as his ⟨⟨HP⟩⟩ bar deplete to zero.

"Shit." He muttered as his vision began to blacken, his body flying towards the lake due to the impact of the blow. He hasn't even started yet, was he really going to die here in his own dream? Pathetic.

 _*Trill!*_ Cabbage exclaimed. That's right! He remembered, Cabbage's ability.

'⟨⟨Quick menu⟩⟩' he thought and he thanked the Astrals that one appeared before him showing him items he could use in battle. '⟨⟨Phoenix Down⟩⟩' he thought as one appeared in his hand and he felt a resurgence of energy in his body. His body landed with a loud _thud_ next to the lake, causing him to lose half of his ⟨⟨HP⟩⟩.

"Cabbage, ⟨⟨Escape⟩⟩" he called out quickly. A light appeared around his body as ⟨⟨Aramusha⟩⟩ dashed towards him again. Noctis closed his eyes bracing himself for impact. Another _trill_ broke him out of his frightened pose as he dropped his hands from covering his face. Cabbage gave him a look that caused him to shiver. She was scolding him.

"I know, I know. Sorry," he muttered sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. The two were in front of the arena again, and ⟨⟨Aramusha⟩⟩ seemed to disappear from the area. Noctis got to his feet jumping at a sudden alert that appeared in his face.

⟨⟨ **Bronze Trophy Unlocked** **⟩⟩**

 **Mistakes were Made**

Fight an opponent that was too strong for you.

Rewards:

500 gil

Wooden Shield

⟨⟨ **Bronze TrophyUnlocked** **⟩⟩**

 **Down, but not Out**

Revive yourself from a Knock Out for the first time using a ⟨⟨Phoenix Down⟩⟩

Rewards:

500 gil

2x plume of Phoenix Down

Noctis laughed at himself. Way to add insult to injury. It seemed as if his gil was also contained in his inventory. He would probably still have to use a wallet for appearance sakes. People would ask questions if he simply pulled money out of thin air. Noctis walked back into the arena and collapsed by the lake. His face was covered in sweat from earlier. He dipped his hands into the cool water and flashed his face. Noctis took a deep breath as he calmed himself down. He stared into his reflection in the water before gasping in surprise.

"My eyes," his said breathily. He leaned down more, and instead of the usual blue he was used to seeing, he saw a dark brown looking back at him. "⟨⟨Character⟩⟩" Noctis said. "⟨⟨Titles⟩⟩," he said a bit awkwardly not sure it would work. But it did, and he fell flat on his back after he saw what was there. It felt like it was staring back at him not all of it made sense. With his current power he doubted that he could even defeat a regular daemon.

 **Titles Owne** d

True King (Locked)

While titles were mainly passive, he assumed this title was different. It meant he was literally chosen by a God to be King. The amount of stat boosts the title gave was probably exactly what he needed to unlock his Lucian Royal Bloodline and establish a connection with their unique magics. Noctis closed his eyes as he thought back to his previous life and wondered if some things could not change.

His fist clenched. Could he change it?

* * *

 _ ***Boom***_

 _ **The car swerved as the driver slammed on the breaks. Noctis looked up at his mother, her eyes widened at the scene before them. One of their escort cars ahead of them burst into flames.**_

" _ **I-is that a daemon?" one of their guards asked, his voice quivering. Noctis narrowed his eyes looking towards the wreckage again. A large monstrous half-snake half-woman with six arms appeared in the light of the burning car.**_

" _ **Protect Prince Noctis and the Queen!" One of the two in front yelled. Noctis sprang into action. He pulled on his mother's hand and threw open the side door. He turned around, to see the large daemon slither closer to them at a frightening speed. Noctis heard screams of pain from his two escorts as she drove a large machete through the car window. He flinched and tripped on himself. Noctis felt his mother hold him steady as she desperately tried to drag the two further away, but fear was getting the better of the two of them. He felt his legs slowly give in, each step was harder to take than the previous. His heart hurt from beating so fast as if it was going to burst out of his chest.**_

 _ ***Slash***_

 _ **An unfamiliar sound of metal ripping flesh hit his ears as he felt his get coated in a warm liquid. He didn't look, but he knew what it was. His mother fell over, dragging him down with her. His legs, he couldn't feel them. He laid on the dirt ground as he turned to look at his mother. He screamed, but it fell to silence. His mother laid before him, her eyes and mouth open wide in shock. She didn't move. Noctis knew. He knew. She would never move again.**_

 _ **His vision faded, and the last thing he saw for a year was his father. His expression calm, but his eyes, sad, angry. He felt sorry, sorry he failed his father. He couldn't protect his mother. He was weak.**_

 _ **Weak.**_

 _ **Weak..**_

 _ **Waek…**_

" _ **Wa**_ **ke-"**

" _ **Wake up…please," Noctis eyes opened slowly. He opened his mouth to try and respond.**_

" _ **Da-" he got out, barely, before he starting had a coughing fit. His father stood up right away coming to his side.**_

" _ **Noctis, you're finally awake." His father said softly. He turned to yell for help. Quickly he found himself surrounded by strangers, uncomfortable with them, Noctis stiffened. Why were they all in his room?**_

" _ **Relax, they're only here to take care of you." His father reassured him. "You've been asleep for a long time…" His father said, his expression changing from happy to sad quickly. His mother… Noctis nodded. He didn't need to confirm it.**_

 _ **The healers gave him a potion to soothe his throat. "H-how long?" he managed to get out after pouring several potions down his throat. It still hurt.**_

" _ **A little under a year, son." He said solemnly, as the healers left to give the two Lucian royals time alone after the quick check up on his health.**_

" _ **Your mother-" he started. Noctis placed a hand on his father's, and looked at him letting him know. His father was surprised, but nodded. The two simply sat there together, mourning, but grateful for the other's presence.**_

 _ **Small quick steps echoed into the room from the hallway. The door swung opened quietly. "King Regis, he is awake?" A soft female voice asked.**_

 _ **His father cleared his throat. "Yes, come in Princess Lunafreya." His father said as he released his son's hand turning to the girl at the door. "Is Lady Gentiana with you as well?"**_

" _ **She is, may she come in as well?"**_

" _ **She may."**_

 _ **Noctis raised his eyes, to see a beautiful blonde-haired girl, whom looked a couple of years older than him walk into the room. Behind her, another woman came in; she was much older than the two, but she still radiated beauty with her pale white skin contrasting her raven black hair.**_

" _ **Noctis, this is Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae and her Lady-in-waiting and caretaker Lady Gentiana." His father said introducing the two women that just came into the room. "They are visiting from Tenebrae since the Queen could not come to your mother's-" he didn't finish. "You know," he said softly.**_

 _ **The two women bowed to him and he sat up attempting his best to bow back. But he fell over in pain.**_

 _ **The blonde princess rushed over to his side and helped him sit up. Her cool fingers brushed against his bare skin, causing him to shiver. She asked if he was cold, he shook his head.**_

" _ **C-can I help you two?" He managed to ask as he awkwardly sat there as his father and the princess gave each other worried looks. His dad look at him, a guilty expression on his face.**_

" _ **Some things happened, while you were 'away,' Noctis." His father started. "Princess Lunafreya's family took us in ." He nodded in response. His father had to have a reason if he did it while he was in a coma. "But that's not all…" He said his eyes softening. "These two will explain things to you, I will speak with you later." His father said as he stood up and exited the room.**_

 _ **Princess Lunafreya took his hand and he swore he could've melted. She smiled at him beautifully. "Prince Noctis, it seems like our fates have been intertwined." Noctis turned to look at her, but something else caught his eye. The mirror across the room that showed his reflection, showed piercing blue eyes staring right back at him.**_

" _ **King of kings-" is all he managed to hear.**_

* * *

 _*Chomp*_

Noctis yelped in pain as he glared at Cabbage who stared up at him innocently.

* _Trill_ * she released. So he was waking up soon. * _Trill_ *

"I honestly don't know how I fell asleep while already asleep." He replied with a shrug.

* _Trill_ *

"Yeah, yeah I will get some training in before I wake up."

* _Trill, trill, trillll_ * she said.

"Yes, I will make sure I don't do it again. And yes, I would appreciate your help no need to get so bossy." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

* _Chomp_ *

"Ow!" He yelled in pain as he saw his ⟨⟨HP⟩⟩ drop a small amount. His ⟨⟨Out-of-Combat Regen⟩⟩ kicked in and he healed back immediately. "I was joking!" Cabbage turned her face away from him. "Come on, let's get a quick round him." He said as he opened his ⟨⟨Inventory⟩⟩ and manually equipped his ⟨⟨Wooden Sword⟩⟩. Noctis inspected his weapon, it felt similar to the swords he was used to in respect to its size. He took a swing with it. It felt familiar, good.

Noctis closed his eyes and imagined the first monsters he fought during his last journey. The so called 'pests' that Cindy and Cid made them hunt. He opened his eyes as he heard a hiss come from Cabbage. In front of the two were four ⟨⟨Lv. 1 Reapertails⟩⟩. He scanned their ⟨⟨HP⟩⟩ bars and they seemed to all have 100.

"Let's go," he said as he dashed towards nearest one that moved away from the group. Noctis took a hard horizontal swing amazing straight at the stinger of the ⟨⟨Reapertail⟩⟩ a ⟨⟨Critcal Hit⟩⟩ marker appeared as well as a ⟨⟨Break⟩⟩ as the stringer itself broke off. The one attack took half its health. Noctis quickly took more swings at it, aiming for the body. Each hit did about 10 damage. He watched as the ⟨⟨Reapertail⟩⟩'s health depleted completely, and it's body flattened itself on the ground.

Noctis looked over at Cabbage whom was holding her own. She already worked the other three down to about three-fourths health with her barely taking a hit. Noctis opened his ⟨⟨Quick Menu⟩⟩ where he placed his other weapons to equip them quicker until he gains his old abilities back. He unequipped his ⟨⟨Wooden Sword⟩⟩ and equipped his newly obtained ⟨⟨Wooden Shield⟩⟩ from the achieve he earned earlier. The shield was large and covered most of his body, it was perfect for the next move. He hid behind the shield and rushed towards the other three scorpions. He rammed into one, and felt it 's carapace break from the force, the second one took less damage, and the third one avoided his attack completely. There were only two left. Noctis switched weapons again, this time equipping his ⟨⟨Toy Knives⟩⟩ the two plastic knives slammed against the already weakened ⟨⟨Reapertail⟩⟩'s body. Relentless slashes across it's back and its stinger caused it to ⟨⟨Break⟩⟩ before the scorpion itself fell to the ground. Noctis again opened his ⟨⟨Quick Menu⟩⟩ and switched his the last weapon in his inventory his ⟨⟨Toy Hammer⟩⟩.

In the corner of his eye he saw bold words pop-up.

 **[Reaction!]: Batter Up!**

Noctis confirmed the action and he felt his instincts take over. His body crouched over as he held the ⟨⟨Toy Hammer⟩⟩ in his hand like a baseball bat. Cabbage was a little bit away from the last ⟨⟨Reapertail⟩⟩ which was slowly moving in towards the small Astral. A gust of wind suddenly appeared as the light emitting from Cabbage dispersed. The wind blew the ⟨⟨Reapertail⟩⟩ towards Noctis. His eyes grew focused as he concentrated on the flying scorpion. He swung at the ⟨⟨Reapertail⟩⟩ with all his might. He and Cabbage watched as the poor ⟨⟨Reapertail⟩⟩ flew out of the arena.

Noctis let out a low whistle as he watched. Awesome.

 **!Level Up!**

 **Items Received!:**

 **4x Scorpion Barb**

 **2x Scorpion Stinger**

⟨⟨ **Bronze Trophy Unlocked** **⟩⟩**

 **A Little Help from a Little Friend**

Perform a [Reaction!] link command with Cabbage the Astral Carbuncle for the first time.

Rewards:

500 gil

⟨⟨Carbuncle Bracer⟩⟩

⟨⟨ **Bronze Trophy Unlocked** **⟩⟩**

 **Getting a Reaction**

Perform a [Reaction!] command for the first time.

Rewards:

500 gil

⟨⟨Wooden Knives⟩⟩

⟨⟨ **Silver Trophy Unlocked** **⟩⟩**

 **A New Journey**

Level up to level two. Congrats, you're not as bad as you used to be!

Rewards:

5000 gil

⟨⟨Lucian Cloak (Child)⟩⟩

⟨⟨Lucian Cloak (Adult)⟩⟩

Noctis dropped to the ground. Fighting this way was going to be rough; he wasn't used to fighting without ⟨⟨Phasing⟩⟩ to maneuver around tough attacks that would otherwise be impossible to dodge or using a quick ⟨⟨Warp-Strike⟩⟩ to take a look at the situation and get a better angle of attack. Cabbage scampered over to him and lied beside him. He saw her statistic bar on top of her head. She was level two as well, so it looked like he shared levels with her at least. He wondered about other people in his party. Would the others be able to see the same things he does, or at least to an extent? There were a lot of questions he had about the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩. The world around him brightened. And he sat up leaning on his arms.

* _Trill_ * Cabbage said, a bit sadly as she nuzzled into his arm. He pat her reassuringly on the head.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon." He said giving the small Astral a smile. His world faded to white.

"Lun-" A voice he could barely make out said. "Find her!" Anima, it was her voice. "To regain-" her voice continued to break off. "Find Lunafre-" His head pulsed, as he saw his ⟨⟨MP⟩⟩ deplete in the corner of his eye every time Anima said a word. ⟨⟨Stasis⟩⟩ hovered over it and Noctis groaned from his pulsing headache.

* * *

Noctis groaned softly as his eyes fluttered open. He almost opened his inventory until he felt someone shift next to him on the bed. He looked around, on one side lie his mother, and the other lie his father. 'Right' he thought embarrassed about the night before. Noctis moved lightly, climbing off from the foot of the bed in order to not wake up his parents. He quietly snuck out of their bedroom nodding to his father's Glaives that stood guard outside the door. He headed for his own room, in order to prepare for the day.

He opened his ⟨⟨Stats⟩⟩ window wondering if he needed to allocate points for leveling up. He didn't. It seemed like his level up automatically raised all his stats. It was practical and less troublesome than having to decide what stats to level and which to ignore. It was also good to know that training in his dreamscape transferred to his real life as well.

Noctis stopped in his tracks, as he thought back to when he accidently spawned ⟨⟨Aramusha⟩⟩. If that was the case, that meant if he died there… He shuddered. He could not make that mistake again. Noctis was met with a couple of maids that stood outside his bedroom door. He did not decline her help to bathe for the morning. Although he was a 30-year-old man in his mind, right now he was the young Prince of Lucis. It would only cause unnecessary problems if he declined. He was led into his room and one of the maids left him to draw the bath in the room connected to his.

"What would you like to wear today, your Highness?" The other maid asked as she opened his drawers. "The usual?"

Noctis made sure she was not looking as he pulled his ⟨⟨Royal Raiment⟩⟩ outfit out and placed it on the bed. "No, I would like to wear these." He said pointing to the clothes he laid on his bed.

His maid came over and looked at the clothes. She nodded in approval. Noctis looked above her head, using a ⟨⟨Scan⟩⟩ on her. The ⟨⟨Scan⟩⟩ gave him her name and her level, he noticed that he was now able to ⟨⟨Examine⟩⟩ her and he did so. The information he saw made him feel slightly guilty as the young maid from her favorite color and to her sizes. How the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ knew any of this was a mystery to him.

"Is something wrong, your Highness?" Noctis shook his head in response, as the door to the bathroom opened and the maid within called to him. He walked into his bathroom, and let the two maids strip him of his clothing. While this was a normal occurrence when he was younger, it has been years since he had this treatment as he remembered declining the eager younger maids from helping him bathe as he learned what hormones were. The time in the bathroom, was rather awkward for Noctis. He would shift uncomfortable when their brushes got too close to _him_. "Is the water too warm, your highness?" One of the maids asked. He shook his head, they most likely asked due to the redness of his face that he could feel.

After several minutes of back scrubbing, washing and drying the two maids finally helped him into his clothes. The stat boost from his ⟨⟨Royal Raiment⟩⟩ and ⟨⟨Lucian Cloak (Child)⟩⟩ was rather good. The outfit give him gave him bonus health and mana, if he decided to take off his jacket he could gain extra magic damage and more stamina instead, but with his small mana pool at the moment made the extra magic damage was not worth it. The cloak gave him bonus armor and magic defense which was good considering he had none previously. He also waited for his maids to leave him alone so he could equip his ⟨⟨Carbuncle Bracer⟩⟩ on his right wrist and gave it a ⟨⟨Transmog⟩⟩ to appear as a black wristwatch he owned. The bracers gave him bonus ⟨⟨Link Damage⟩⟩ with Cabbage, as well as a slight boost in armor and attack power.

Noctis walked out of his room as his maids waited outside of his room to escort him to breakfast. Outside the dining room doors stood of his father's closest friends Clarus Amicitia, Gladiolus and Iris's father. He stopped in front of the man and saluted him. With a puzzled expression Clarus saluted back to him. "Sir Amicitia," he greeted.

"Your Highness," he replied.

"I been meaning to ask you for a favor." Clarus nodded, letting him know to continue. "I would like to begin joining your son Gladiolus and Sir Scientia's son, Ignis, for their daily training."

"Heh," the Glaive replied with a grin. "If you can keep up, I don't mind they already have but we'll have to ask your old man, first."

"Easy enough," Noctis replied as he opened the doors to the dining room. "Dad, I'm going to go train with Sir Clarus later today." His parents looked a bit shocked at his announcement as they looked at him curiously as he seated himself at the dining table they use for their informal family dining. It didn't surprise Noctis that his parents would react this way. In his past life he was never assertive about anything, he didn't start his combat training until his father practically dragged him in front of Gladio when they grew older; to be fair, he was in a coma and in a wheelchair for a while.

"I think you should wait until you are older, Noct," his mother said.

"Gladiolus and Ignis started around my age. I believe I should start now too, I know they are training to protect me when I am older, but I also believe I need to protect myself as well as our people." Noctis replied calmly hoping this would put an end to this argument.

Everyone gave him an odd look, Noctis forgot for a minute that he was only four. His speech might have been a little too advance for them to comprehend. "Been reading a lot before bed." He answered their questioning looks. It seemed to work. Damn, he was probably going to have to do private tutoring now.

"Are you sure you will not hold them back? I do not want to slow down their training just for you." His father replied.

"They have had a couple of years ahead of me and I cannot say with full confidence that I will be able to keep up, but I will try my best and if I feel like I am holding them back then I will stop training with them and find another way to do my training without disturbing them." Noctis said causing his father to nod in approval.

"That is good, if it is alright with Clarus then I do not see why not." His father said, his mother giving her reluctant approval as well. "Now, let us eat." He said gesturing to the table of food in front of them.

"You looked rather nice today, Noctis, I wish you would dress like this more often." His mother said giving him a smile. "It is much nicer than your usual choice of clothing."

"Are you sure you want that Gina?" His father said, calling his mother by her nickname. "If you want him to look this handsome all the time some might expect him to start courting," he teased looked up from his food.

His mother, Queen Regina Delamiere Caelum, shot his father a glare. "They would have to get my approval first if they want to marry our little Noctis."

"Do I not have a say in this mother?" Noctis said amused as he raised a brow.

"Well- of course you do. I just want to have my input as well she will be taking my seat, after all."

The three of them laughed. While he had dinners like this with Gladio and the others, the last time he had a light-hearted family dinner was when his mother was still alive and after she passed he usually never saw his father eat at the dining table with him. It was one of the things he was hoping to protect, but first he needed to get stronger even without his all of his old abilities.

* * *

 _*Clunk* *Clunk*_

The sounds of Noctis's wooden sword against Gladio's echoed throughout the training room. Even though Gladio was only three years older than him, the seven-year-old, at this time, was much more physically fit. The brunt force of Gladio's wooden great sword made it feel as though his arms were being torn off. While Noctis may have more combat experience and knowledge his body was just as strong as it was when he was a child.

He saw Ignis and Clarus standing off to the side in his peripheral. Ignis was opposed to the idea that he spar Gladio since it was his first day training; Gladio was not. He remembered that Gladio disliked him for some time, until the incident with Iris; Noctis wasn't entirely sure when Gladio's disdain for him happened, but it could have very well already started. This was probably just a test from Clarus, seeing how well he could hold up. Winning would draw too many questions, losing badly will cause him to lose his training privileges, so Noctis only saw two choices: barely losing, or taking it to a draw. Which is harder than outright winning and outright losing. One choice he had was wait for Gladio to tire out, but they have already been going at it for 30 minutes, and Gladio has barely slowed down. Another scenario is draw it out long enough so that Clarus would declare it a draw, this was probably the best scenario.

Noctis rolled out of the way as the Gladio took a heavy horizontal swing at him. He was so glad Clarus told Gladio to go all out. Blocking was out of the question unless he wanted to sprain a wrist or worst break his arm. The best he could do was parry the large wooden sword away, but the friction of the wooden blades made it much harder than when they used real weapons. He sprang to his feet and took a quick swing at his abdomen. Gladio groaned; the ⟨⟨Padded Training Armor⟩⟩ they were wearing absorbed 75% damage while in the training area otherwise both of them would be way more injured. Noctis took another quick jab with the butt of his sword against Gladio's shoulder blade and quickly dodging out of the way of the retaliating elbow headed towards his face.

Ducking under the elbow instead of rolling was a mistake, as he felt Gladio's foot impact his chest knocking him onto his back. Noctis swore under his breath as he quickly did a barrel roll dodging another one of Gladio's strikes. What kind of training did he even go through to hit this hard? He's only seven.

"You know, you're not half bad your highness." Gladio said with a smirk.

"Heh, thanks, I would say the same thing, but honestly you're like a monster." Noctis said with a grin of his own.

"I'll take that as a compliment, but really this doesn't seem like your first day." Gladio said as he rested his sword on his right shoulder. "I think we've spared long enough. Dad, I think he'll do fine training with us, what do you two think?"

Ignis adjusted his glasses, "while it is ultimately not my choice, I believe that his Highness has proven himself adequate enough to continue training with us. But I must add that we train with caution." He gave Gladio a stern look, "we do not want to permanently injure the Heir to the throne now do we Gladio?" Man, even six-year-old Ignis was sort of scary. Gladio shrugged his shoulders and dropped his sword on the ground.

"I would have stopped before it got too bad."

"Her Majesty, Queen Regina also stated that if Prince Noctis does not keep up with his private studies, that he will be starting a long with myself, that he will not be allowed to train." Ignis added looking right at him. Noctis shrugged in response. While he was not as smart as Ignis; he was not stupid. The only reason he attended school was because he wanted to be away from home, with his father always working he had nothing to do for most the day. This time he had even more of a reason to go to school, that was where he met Prompto.

Clarus walked up to him and gave him a slap on the back. "I honestly would have let you join even if you got thrashed by Gladi." He said with a grin. "But you held yourself well, much better than when your dad first started."

"Thanks," he muttered rubbing the spot that Clarus hit.

"Our usual schedule is not only sparring. You, your highness, are expected to master more than one weapon. While Gladiolus and Ignis here can pick their own fighting style and use what they like, although I expect them to be adequate with other weapons as well. I am sure you understand why," he explained. "This means that you will be training with Glaives other than myself, while I can teach you the basics and some advanced techniques, I prefer, like Gladio, great swords."

Noctis nodded in response, in his last life he mainly learned from Gladio. By the time Noctis started his training he was already claimed by Bahamut as the True King and while he got good at fighting probably due to his bloodline, he rarely ever got training with anyone other than Gladio and the others. While he did train with Ignis, he was mainly his tutor despite only being a couple of years older than him; since he wanted to become his advisor when he became king.

"I can't think of anyone at the moment to help train you, but we will worry about that at another time. I'll probably have to talk to your old man." Clarus said. "But for now, let's get to training."

The three of them nodded in response and lined up in front of the Glaive. "So we will start with some cardio; I know living in the big city there isn't much running that we have to do, but having stamina will help you survive in any fight." Clarus explained. "I'm sure Prince Noctis knows this, if his spar with Gladio went any longer than he would have lost." Noctis agreed and nodded his head. "So your training today is 10 laps around the perimeter of the castle and don't worry about guards your highness, there are Glaives stationed around every corner." He said with a cruel smirk.

Noctis felt his eye twitch, the perimeter of the castle was insanely large. 10 laps was going to take all day. Noctis looked over at his friends. Gladio had a mortified look on his face and he was the most trained out of the three of them. Ignis, like always, had his poker face on, but it wasn't enough to hide the look on his face.

The three children finished their tenth lap by dinner time, so it only took them over six hours to complete. Gladio, was the most trained, but he was willing to slow down a bit to jog alongside the other two. Every so often they would walk a bit, to relax and catch their breath. They talked, mostly it was Gladio talking while Ignis and Noctis listened to him. Noctis discovered something that he didn't know in the past life. Ignis went to the most prestigious school in the Crown City, and he was also a head of his class and skipped ahead. Gladio, while he went to one of the better schools, he it was much less strict than the one Ignis went to. Noctis didn't attend school when he was younger, it wasn't until his mother passed away that Noctis asked his father to let him attend, since being in the castle was sort of gloomy. But he did attend the same schools as Ignis; it just was not at the same time, since his future advisor was already older than he was.

Noctis was surprised at the end of it that he was not as tired as he thought he'd be. While his body was much weaker than he was used to it was also much stronger than it was around this time in his past life. Another pleasant surprise was that he got the notification telling him he reached ⟨⟨Lv. 3⟩⟩ appear in front of him. It was a fairly brutal exercise and he's sure that spar with Gladio added to his experience. After the three met up with Clarus to report in, they dispersed and separated saying their good byes until tomorrow.

* * *

Dinner was uneventful, since Noctis ate by himself; both his parents busy with certain affairs for the night. Noctis soaked in the bath after the maids washed his hair and back. The warm water soaked in aching muscles. He brought up his menu, checking on some things that appeared during his spar, but he didn't have the time to check. ⟨⟨Ability Power⟩⟩ was gained throughout the day doing things, he was not sure what exactly triggered it, but he gained some during his spar with Gladio, while jogging and surprisingly when he ate. It didn't seem like he would gain a lot if he attempted to just grind it. He looked around his menu and found a menu called ⟨⟨Ascension⟩⟩, but it seemed like he couldn't quite access it quite yet. It was most likely linked with his ⟨⟨AP⟩⟩ since he couldn't find any other things that sounded suspicious. He also figured his ⟨⟨Ascension⟩⟩ menu was linked with his ⟨⟨True King⟩⟩ title and until then he couldn't access it, but it was nice that he could grind the ⟨⟨AP⟩⟩ without it. He wondered what they kind of skills he would unlock it would be awesome if it was anything similar to King's Knight's skill menu.

He continued to think about the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ and what kind of limitations were set to it. He knew he could train in his dreamscape but does that also mean he could carry things from his dreamscape to the real world? He knew anything he owned in the real world transferred to his dreamscape with him having weapons and clothes. He didn't count the loot he received from unlocking the ⟨⟨Trophies⟩⟩ since systems like that was generally a reward that had its own scheme behind it. Noctis wondered what the limitations to his ⟨⟨Inventory⟩⟩ was exactly. It didn't seem like there was a weight system, so in theory he could hoard everything and it would be fine, but he wondered if there was a limitation what he could put in there. He'd test this out tonight in his dreamscape training. He knew there were other games that let the player hold random things like cooking utensils.

His thoughts came to a halt when the maids asked him to step out of his warm bath, he didn't realize how long he stayed in there. He stood up and felt his muscles ache from the training earlier. His two attendants helped him dry off and get dressed for bed.

Noctis climbed into his bed and his attendants left his room. He sat up and closed his eyes. Noctis focused on the flow of his mana throughout his body. He noticed something from his past life and this time around. His use of mana seemed to strain him in a way similar to exercising and his muscles. He wondered if by focusing on his own mana in his body he could, in theory 'stretch' it and 'exercise' it. He'd have to ask his dad for more information on this, or maybe he could find one of his dad's Glaives that specialized in magic. In any case, he'd have to go to his dad for more information. Noctis concentrated on his mana and his tried control the follow of his mana. It took a while, but when he was able to completely focus and feel his mana he could slightly will his mana to follow his directions. He started off easy and controlled his mana to concentrate on the larger parts of his body. He moved his mana to his whole upper body; this caused him to feel a slight numbing in his lower body and then did the reverse. Noctis did this for a little over an hour. He could feel the sweat on his body, much like he just exercised. To his pleasure when he opened his eyes a small window popped up.

⟨⟨ **Mana Knowledge** **⟩⟩** **was learned due to your training of your body's mana flow.** **⟨⟨** **Mana Control** **⟩⟩** **was learned due to using your knowledge of mana and learning how to control the flow of mana within your body.**

Noctis looked to the corner where his ⟨⟨HP⟩⟩ and ⟨⟨MP⟩⟩ bars sat. It seemed like the two skills he just learned increased his overall mana pool incrementally. He examined the skills closer and confirmed that they did give him a small ⟨⟨MP⟩⟩ boost. Noctis removed his shirt and letting the crisp Spring air to cool his body. He hoped he could find some time to do this before his nightly bathe time, while he didn't mind sleeping a little dirty, being used to camping outside for days after hunting monsters in his past life he would much rather go to sleep clean. He threw his head back down onto his pillow and crawled under the covers. His mind felt numb from his meditation earlier and his body was sore from the exercise. His dreamscape training was a bit overpowered since he barely felt any fatigue this morning after last night's training.

* * *

He seemed to have fallen asleep instantly, because the last thing he could remember before waking up in front of the natural arena from last time was closing his eyes.

 _*Trill*_

Noctis looked down to see Cabbage seemingly waiting for him. He leaned down and scratched behind her ear causing her to nuzzle into his touch. 'Cute,' he thought. He stood back up and stretched walking into the area, Cabbage followed right behind him.

"So before we start today, I need to test some things." He explained to Cabbage. "So be ready to run at any moment." While ⟨⟨Aramusha⟩⟩ from the other night was definitely strong it was by far not the strongest monster that Noctis and his friends fought. He concentrated on the monster ⟨⟨Bennu⟩⟩ the giant bird from the Leide region that scared the shit out of them when they had to do a job for Dino. He concentrated on its size and appearance. He did this for a while occasionally glancing in front of him just in case he did happen to summon the giant bird. He frowned to himself before giving up. Maybe it was just too big of a monster. He switched to a different monster, much smaller than ⟨⟨Bennu⟩⟩ but probably thrice as deadly. He pictured their little green bodies and clothed in their brown cloak and the seemingly weak, but in reality- deadly knives. At first, he thought of the ⟨⟨Sir Tonberry⟩⟩ he hunted for Randolph, but much to his disappointment, nothing. He then thought of the regular daemon ⟨⟨Tonberry⟩⟩ and his eyes snapped at the disgusting sounds in front of him. The little green creature crawled out of the ground.

⟨⟨Lv. ? Tonberry⟩⟩

HP: ?

MP: ?

Noctis and Cabbage walked away from the green daemon a bit. It's eyes staring at the two of them as it slowly approached. When they got about a meter away from the entrance to the area the ⟨⟨Tonberry⟩⟩ seemingly just disappeared. So it seemed like there were restrictions on unique monsters, or at least monsters that dropped unique items. Noctis was slightly disappointed that he couldn't farm the ⟨⟨Bennu⟩⟩ or ⟨⟨Sir Tonberry⟩⟩ he could've asked Randolph to make a million ⟨⟨Iron Dukes⟩⟩ and sell it. The two of them stepped back inside. He again thought of a regular ⟨⟨Tonberry⟩⟩, but he concentrated more on the ⟨⟨Level⟩⟩ of the daemon. He tried to make it concentrated on making it a ⟨⟨Lv. 1⟩⟩ first and slowly climbed his way up in numbers. Once in his mind he reached ⟨⟨Lv. 50⟩⟩ the familiar sound and monster appeared in front of them. His ⟨⟨Auto-Scan⟩⟩ skill seemed to still examine the daemon as ⟨⟨Lv. ?⟩⟩ even though he knew in his mind that it was a ⟨⟨Lv. 50⟩⟩. It seemed that his ⟨⟨Auto-Scan⟩⟩ would only increase in value as he increased his actual level. It also seemed like certain things could only be summoned at certain levels. He remembered the ⟨⟨Tonberry⟩⟩ daemons to be quite strong. He summoned a couple of more as he continued to thing of the same monster with increased level value. So far, it seemed like he could summon as many as they fit inside the area as he massed summoned about 50 more of them. He stepped back causing them all to despawn. Now he stepped back in and summoned several ⟨⟨Reapertails⟩⟩ they all ranged from level one to 20 and it seemed like he couldn't summon any stronger than that. While they were fairly weak monsters he wouldn't be able to take this many, as well as some of the stronger ones in his current state. He stepped back again letting them all despawn. He walked back in this time walking towards the lake that lied on the other side. Noctis leaned down and plucked a flower that laid in the oasis like area and opened his inventory. It wouldn't let him place it inside.

It seemed like anything in his dreamscape that was not a ⟨⟨Monster Drop⟩⟩ he couldn't take back into the real world, while everything he had in the real world transferred to his inventory in here. In theory in made sense, he was slightly disappointed though, if he could take everything from the dream scape he would spend more time searching around and seeing what he could find. But in the end, it was still over powered. He could literally farm ⟨⟨Monster Drops⟩⟩ while he was asleep, in theory, an endless amount, and take it to the real world and to sell or use. He had to be careful, especially if he sold them in the Lucian region. He could inflate the drop market like crazy if he wasn't careful. Gil, on the other hand, was different since it was a universal currency throughout all the regions, so gil he obtained from training and unlocking ⟨⟨Trophies⟩⟩ he could use a bit more carelessly.

Noctis pulled out his ⟨⟨Wooden Sword⟩⟩ and spawned four ⟨⟨Lv. 3 Reapertails⟩⟩ he and Cabbage did this several times, taking a small break after every wave. After their tenth wave, he finally got a message from the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ to appear in front of him telling him he reached ⟨⟨Lv. 4⟩⟩. He looked over the loot he gained over the training session it looked like what was considered a normal drop had about a 60 percent drop rate while items he obtained from ⟨⟨Breaks⟩⟩ weren't always guaranteed, but had about a 90 percent drop rate. Overall his haul was 20x Scorpion Barbs and 12x Scorpion Stingers.

He decided that one level was enough training for now and decided to use to rest of his time in his dream scape meditating and increasing his mana. Noctis sat by the lake and crossed his legs. He felt Cabbage crawl onto his lap and curl up into a ball. He smiled and went back to concentrating on the flow of his mana. It took an enormous effort to his mana around his body by force. Its natural flow seemed to course through much like his blood and simply run though out his whole body, so it made sense to him that disrupting this natural flow and concentrating it on a specific point was obviously hard. While ⟨⟨Phasing⟩⟩ and ⟨⟨Warp-Striking⟩⟩ came easily to him in the past he wondered if this ability would help him in any way. Maybe it'd be like some comics he read back then where he could concentrate all of his mana into his hand a break a stone wall just by punching it.

* * *

Noctis didn't know how long he meditated for because before he knew it he was opening his eyes to find himself awake in his bedroom. A window appeared in front of him.

⟨⟨ **System Alert** **⟩⟩**

 **Due to getting well rested in at home all fatigue has been reduced.**

 **Due to getting well rested in a safe environment, all stats have been temporarily increased.**

 **Due to getting well rested in a bed, all experience gained will be temporarily increased.**

Noctis blinked several times in surprise. And yet another over powered ability. All the running he did yesterday he was sure to be more than a little sore today, but to get all the benefits with none of the side effects was a bit ridiculous. This meant he could go all out until he could barely walk and as long as he slept in at home he would feel none of that pain the next day. He wondered why he didn't get these bonuses the other night though. He doubted it was because he slept in his parents' bed. The only thing he could think of was that the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ was continually evolving, much like a game patching to create more content. He shrugged it off for now only time would tell; maybe Anima knows about it, but it could be possible she herself doesn't either.

There was a knock on his door. "Enter," he called out and his two usual maid attendants stepped and like clockwork they guided him to his private restroom and he brushed his teeth and bathed before getting dressed for the day. He hoped that today's training session wouldn't run as long as yesterday- he laughed out loud slightly at his own pun causing his two attendants to give him a strange look. He wanted to find time to ask his dad about mana, or ask him if he could talk to one of his Glaives, maybe even go to the royal library and try and read up on it. He pondered for a moment as he stepped into the warm bath to soak after his attendants help him scrub down. The library would be a good idea. It seemed like the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ adapts to things around him, maybe he could learn some useful skills that didn't involve fighting. Maybe he could learn profession-type skills like ⟨⟨Alchemy⟩⟩ in the future and just because he can't now doesn't mean the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ won't allow him to in the future, so there was no reason not to study other skills. One thing he did know was that just because the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ doesn't contain the skill or tells him he has the skill does not mean he doesn't know it. He confirmed this when he was able to use his other weapons, but he had no skill that told him he could use ⟨⟨1-H Weapons⟩⟩ or ⟨⟨2-H Weapons⟩⟩ but he still remembered how to wield them. Having it in the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ was useful, he could probably compare it to a cooking recipe, just because you don't have the recipe written down doesn't mean you don't know it. So, if his dad wasn't free today, than the library would be a great choice, to be honest it actually appealed to him a bit more than talking to his dad, but learning about his own mana was too important to him.

Nevertheless, he had some studying to do today. He was determined to learn something that he may not have known in his past life. Noctis stepped out of his bath and dressed in a similar outfit from the other day. In his past life, he never cared about fighting or learning about his Lucian Royalty bloodline. There were so many things that he could learn to better protect his loved ones' futures. His eyes glimmered with determination as he exited his room.

* * *

 **EP: Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I tried to make it really long. I think I got to about 9k words not counting my A/Ns. I tried something new concerning things I considered game mechanics and that is putting them in the bracket-type things. Any way, leave some Faves, Reviews, and follows. Until next time!**


	3. Prologue: Magic

**Hello everyone! It has been awhile. I'm really sorry for being so late. I'll try to be earlier next chapter, but honestly I was really stumped with this chapter. I'm trying to introduce a new concept that is IN the FF15 universe. We know it from the movie, but I had a hard time trying to explain it. Master Ley is an obvious person if you read any Chinese Light Novels or manhua (I think I spelt that right). And I took the magic concept from that story to put it in here, because I think it fits best with what we know of the FF15 universe and things like Elemancy and stuff. This chapters a bit shorter, sorry, but I've been really busy. Had a family member pass away a couple months ago and had to deal with that, then I had finals and other tests, then Zelda BoTW and now playing Persona 5.**

 **SPEAKING OF PERSONA 5, I fucking love that game. Honestly thinking about starting a story of it. I love all the characters in it especially all the females. I had such a hard time picking my SO in the game, but I went with Ann if anyone is wondering. It was stuck between her, Makoto and Hifumi. Ugh it was terrible. In most animes I fall for the girls that act like those three the most.**

 **So honestly speaking might start a Persona 5 fanfiction any time now.** **It'll be a ProtagxHarem? Maybe Idk not sure yet still working on the idea of it and my NG +. I'm not abandoning this fic, but I don't remember where I said it exactly, either Ch 1 ANs or in my bio, but I write cause I want to write. I love you all as fans, but you don't want to read something I feel forced to write. I want it to be good and fun to read, if I'm forcing myself to write a story and trying to force it through to get o you then it won't be fun for either of us. Well anyway thanks for all the patients.**

 **Noctis: So, you're finally uploading this.**

 **EP: Yep.**

 **Noctis: You've had it on your computer for months...**

 **EP: WELL, EXCUSEEEEE ME PRINCESS. I wanted to edit it a bit, and honestly I'm not sure how much I like it.**

 **Noctis: *Shrugs* Well I hope every one else does.**

 **EP: Well speaking of that, hey friends that actually read my Author's notes, let me know if you like this concept of Magic in the story, if not I'll working on fixing it.**

 **Noctis: and off that note, I'd like to say Expresso Patronum does not own anything except some OCs and stuff yeah.**

 **EP: Nice one.**

* * *

Noctis was a bit disappointed as he sat down for breakfast. His dad was busy with work so it was only him and his mom today. He figured that going to the library would be his best choice today instead of waiting for his dad to be free.

"Noct, is every thing all right?" His mother asked with concern in her voice. Noctis mentally shook his head becoming aware of his surroundings.

"Yeah, why do you ask mom?"

"You have been staring at your empty bowl for a couple of minutes. Is there something on your mind?"

"Actually, yes." He said looking up at his mother with a serious look on his face. "What do you know about magic?"

She gave him a curious look, "do you want to be more specific?"

"Magic, you know, not like card tricks, but casting spells. The only thing I know is that it exists, but it is rare."

"Well yes, it does exist." She stated. "Do you plan on trying to learn it?" She asked curiously.

He nodded in response.

"Noctis, I hope you don't get your hopes up too much, saying that it is 'rare' is putting it very lightly." She stated. "I do not know how factual this is, but when I was younger your grandfather searched the whole country for magic users and apparently only five were found in all of Lucis."

He was a bit taken aback he knew it was rare, but to find only five in the population of millions was rather ridiculous. "I won't get my hopes up, I just want to learn about it."

"Well, I will tell you what I know." She said as their maids cleaned the table in front of them. "There are two things you need to learn about before you can make sense of why mages are important and are so rare."

He nodded in acknowledgement.

"The first one is rather quick, since not much is known about it in present day. The Great War of Old, where the Astral Ifrit betrayed the Six Astrals and wiped out Solheim, back then Solheim was a collection of the four Kingdoms we know now. This event caused a lot of the magic tomes and mages themselves to be lost in the ashes of Ifrit's fire."

"Do you understand so far?" She asked raising an eyebrow as his mom remembered that she was still talking to a young child.

"Yeah, I understand mom." He replied.

"Centuries ago, before even the kingdom of Lucis was created magic users were a common sight. But many things happened, to cause a large number of them to disappear. Have you read up on the first Crystal war yet?" She asked.

He shook his head; although he did lie to his parents not too long ago about having been reading a lot. While he knew what occurred, he never really cared for his schooling that much in his past life, only to get a good grade at most. And he didn't want his parents to think of him as a genius, while he could definitely show off that he was smart he still wanted to go to school and meet Prompto.

"The first war was only the start of it. That is when the Eos lost its first crystal. It was probably the most violent war, if you didn't already know this. Mages were drafted and forced to fight, unlike common soldiers." She stated her pretty face taking a disgusted expression. "Every country back then fought one another with the power of their countries' mages. This incident caused a lot of fear and smaller countries without strong mages lived under the protection of larger ones. There were two outcomes from this, hierarchical societies and a raise in the status of mages."

"While slavery is banned in all four of the great Kingdoms now, it was not back then. Many of the small villages and towns were practically slaves to the larger kingdoms. Mages, even mages from slave villages, were automatically raised to Dukedom, and depending on their strength they could be even more." She explained.

"Why were mages so important?" He asked, he could guess, but he wanted to show her he was listening and to hear a definite answer.

"The power of mages far surpassed that of a regular person. One mage had the firepower of a 100 soldiers. Even a weak mage could still take on several soldiers at by themselves. A mage could do the job of several doctors; while they are more limited in how they heal a person they still did a very good job especially in times of war. And a very powerful mage could defend a kingdom by themselves, even one as vast as Lucis. They can wipe out a whole army by themselves. That's why mages are held so high in status. If one of those strong mages were to exist now, even your father would not oppose him and the amount of political power he would hold would probably be greater than his just cause of the amount of devastation they could cause."

"So no one that strong exists not?" He asked curiously.

"Not to anyone's knowledge, if they do then no one knows about it. But it is possible, while it has not been proven in a long time it is rumored that mages that strong can live until they are centuries old."

That, he never knew. "Do you know what happened with those mages grandfather found?" He asked curiously maybe one of them could help him learn magic.

"To my knowledge, they are part of your father's Kingsglaive."

"The only one I know of is named Crowe, she's the only female in your father's Glaives. Except she was not found by your grandfather, she was discovered by your father, she's only a couple of years older than you, but I've heard out of the few mages in the Glaives she's the strongest."

He nodded. He remembered her from his past life, he met her once, by coincidence, but he never actually talked to her. "So what are the requirements to become a mage?" He asked curiously.

She shrugged her shoulders. "There are several tests your grandfather did. One of them tests your affinity with mana. But the mages that came to your grandfather came by on their own accord and showed off their ability they themselves discovered."

"Crowe was found by accident, as well, while your father was out for work on the outskirts." She added.

Noctis nodded. It made sense. It seemed like there was no reason to not come forward as a mage from what his mother told him it seemed like there was no downfall to it.

"From what you're saying mom, it seems like there's only good things that come from being considered a mage. Is there really no negative consequence?"

His mom shook her head. "It depends what you consider a negative consequence. While, yes the benefits seem to be extraordinary, the negatives of it are no laughing matter. If you want to earn the benefits of being a mage of a nation, you must affiliate yourself with that nation. If you were not the Prince, but a commoner, but also a mage you would have to swear yourself to the King. While if you did not want to, but chose to stay neutral Lucis as well as many others will consider you a possible threat especially depending on your strength in magic."

Noctis was a bit shocked, but he didn't try to show it outwardly. "I see." He answered. Maybe it wasn't as pretty as he thought it was, if anything it was the opposite. If one was found as a mage than they were practically forced to join a side. Especially in this day in age where the number of mages and the level of them were low considering what his mother said.

"Thanks for this mom, I appreciate it."

"It's nothing, love." She replied sweetly. "Now you have training soon, why don't you go rest up until then? Maybe get some reading in, I need to meet up with your father after his business. We will be both be at dinner tonight."

"Okay, bye mom." He said as he hopped out of his chair giving his mom a quick wave goodbye as he made his way to the royal archives.

Other than strength itself, becoming a mage had no benefits for him. He was already the Crown Prince of Lucis with that considered he would not have to swear his loyalty to Lucis. The only thing he could think of was his might bring light to himself too early on. Ardyn didn't make a move on Lucis years from now, considering his father was still in his prime and the 'True King' has yet to be revealed to Ardyn. Even if he was found to be a mage by all of Eos, that means nothing to Ardyn, but it would cause him to be cautious. He would have to be careful about revealing his strength.

Noctis nodded curtly to the Glaives guarding the library and entered the royal archives after shaking off his thoughts. He was getting ahead of himself. While he knew he had an obvious affinity with mana, there was still no way of knowing if he could use magic.

In his past life he had only been here a few times when he was older after his mom passed away. He and Prompto would spend their time here studying. Well it was mostly Prompto just copying his homework.

Noctis walked up to the 'royal librarian,' as Prompto liked to call him, but really he was one of the top Glaives assigned to protect the more important doctrines in the archives. He was a relative of Ignis, and much like Ignis he was intelligent. His main role was to watch for intruders, but since the possibility was highly unlikely considering the amount one would have to do to invade the library, he also took up the responsibilities similar to that of a librarian, which is why Prompto called him such.

"Your highness," Ignis's relative said saluting respectfully. "How may I be of service?"

Noctis saluted him back, respectfully causing the older man to relax slightly. It was his first time talking to him afterall, understandable. "I was wondering if there is a section of books for magic."

Ignis's relative didn't ask any questions as he looked over the database on the monitor in front of him. "There's nothing like that in the main section, if you take the stairs up it should be up there. Your grandfather had those set and archived up there, only Glaives and others with permission from your father may be up there."

Noctis nodded and thanked the Glaive before heading to the stairs. He felt an odd sensation in the back of his head as he continued walking up the stairs. It felt like he had no control over his thoughts as random things seemingly popped into his head. Each step from the one before it, he shook it off, but as he climbed up it was getting harder. As he climbed near the top, the random thoughts and suggestions that were in his head turned into urges, part of him wanted to go to the bathroom, and another part of him wanted to just go back downstairs and rest. His eyes wandered back down to the librarian, whom seemed perfectly fine. He remembered Glaives could come up here, did they ever feel this too? He wondered if it was some sort test.

Noctis gritted his teeth as he continued to climb the stairs before finally reaching the top. The pressure he felt on his mind finally seemed to release him. That was when Noctis noticed him. How did he not see him earlier?

At the top of the steps there was a man that leaned over the railing with a worn book in his hand.

Who was he? The man turned to look at Noctis. Noctis did not recognize him. He didn't wear the uniform like the other Glaives, but instead he wore a blue colored robe, loose fitted white pants and a worn and raggedly looking cloak. The man had shoulder length chestnut colored hair that was relatively straight, but stuck out in different directions and honestly reminded him of his own if he happened to grown it out that long.

The man gave him a look, his lips curling in a smirk. "Impressive," he said. The older man's eyes looked over as if observing him. Noctis tried to use his ⟨⟨Scan⟩⟩ ability, but there was no read on the man, not even question marks. The man closed his book and started to walk towards him. Signals blared in Noctis's head to run, but he found that he couldn't move a single step. Before he knew it the man was in front of him, two fingers pointing at Noctis's forehead. Noctis watched, as they came closer to him, his eyes closed tightly in fear. The fingers touched his forehead and all the tension and pressure he felt on the trudge up here disappeared.

"Better?" The unknown man asked as Noctis looked up at him questioningly. He was strong, that much Noctis knew, but part of Noctis knew he was not an enemy, he knew that he could have easily been killed right there.

Noctis nodded. The man turned around and walked to long table that sat in the middle of the floor. "Come, I mean you no harm." Noctis scurried up to the table and sat across from the unknown man.

Silence overtook the two for a while. He was waiting. "W-what was that earlier?" He said mentally slapping himself for stuttering.

"Define earlier," he said his eyes still observing Noctis.

"The stairs," Noctis replied.

"It's a defensive aura that keeps people away. It feeds your brain suggestions at first and the closer you get the more it affects you." He explained simply. "It's much more complex, but that is the basis of it. I would have never thought a child like you would get through it."

"Is that why you said it was impressive?" The man nodded in response.

"Is this a defense my grandfather set up, or was it-" The look the man gave Noctis told him every thing and he quickly ended his question. "So that was- magic?" Noctis asked, biting his lip. He knew this was a dangerous question. His mother just told him there were no powerful mages that still existed to her knowledge. The explanation the unknown man gave him could have been that exact reason. If this man was really as strong as Noctis assumed, seeing as how the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ had no read on him, this could go south very quickly.

The man seemed to ponder for a minute, before answering, "yes."

"I won't tell anyone." Noctis replied seriously. The fact that his mother had no knowledge of this man said a lot. Noctis could only assume that his father didn't even know of his existence.

The man smirked in response. "I know."

"Can you- tell me more?"

"Care to be more specific?"

"About magic, I want to learn."

The man kept a nonchalant expression, but his tone told Noctis otherwise. "Why?"

Noctis looked around. He knew he had to answer correctly. Noctis had the feeling that of this man wanted to, he could disappear and he would never find him again no matter how hard he tried. The truth, that was what Noctis decided to tell him. He was a mage, if any one would believe him he would. He was sure of it. Noctis looked around to make sure no one else was around to here; otherwise they'd think he was some crazy Prince.

"No one else can hear you, how do you think I was up here unnoticed?" The man answered, causing Noctis to relax slightly.

And then Noctis told him. He told him about the future, his past life, Anima, everything. The man said nothing as Noctis divulged all of his secrets. Once he finished talking, the two of them sat in silence.

The silence made Noctis fidgety. Yeah, maybe his story was crazy even for a magician.

"Honestly, your story is a bit farfetched." The man finally answered.

Noctis looked down in response, disappointed.

"But, who am I to say that." He said his expression changing again. "I'm sure if I told you every thing about myself you would think the same thing." The man passed the book he was reading earlier across the tabletop. "You asked the man downstairs for this earlier. I looked it over, while the information is basic, it is mostly correct." He claimed.

Noctis took the worn book and opened it. The pages were worn and old, and the writing was something he knew he definitely never learned, but each word seemed to appear in his mind.

"It's a translation spell." The man said as if reading his mind. "You are destined for great things. I could already tell that much when I first saw you make it up those steps. No one else here has been able to make it that far, and I've watched as they have tried." He said. "I will tell you now, that I have no affiliation with your kingdom of Lucis or any other for that matter, but I like you, so I will help you out a bit."

"Thank you-" Noctis said not sure how to address the man.

The man pondered for a moment, "Ley, you may call me Ley."

"Thank you, Master Ley." Noctis said he wasn't sure why he called the other man Master, but it felt right in a way.

He nodded in response, not saying anything about the title that Noctis added. "Once you finish that, and learn more about magic, come find me again and we will discuss more." He said as he got up from the table.

"How do I find you again, Master Ley?" He asked curiously.

"Just come back up these steps. Do not worry about the stairs anymore they won't cause you anymore problems."

"So you really think I can learn magic?"

"If I didn't think you could I wouldn't waste my time." He answered bluntly. "I am sure you have a lot of questions, and in due time they will be answered, but for now get going. Come back when you are ready to learn more about magic." He said.

The Lucian salute would mean nothing to Ley, so Noctis instead bowed respectfully. When Noctis lifted his head Ley was already gone. A childlike excitement filled Noctis's body as he rushed down back down the stairs. He let the librarian make note of what book he was taking before rushing back to his room. He hadn't been this excited in what seemed like forever even in his past life Noctis never remembered being this excited for anything.

Noctis closed his bedroom door, taking a look at the digital clock that sat on the desk inside his bedroom. He still had several hours before his training with the others. He took a seat at his desk and opened the book.

The first section seemed to explain what magic was. The book explained that Magic was the ability to perceive, form and change mana. The practitioners of magic were called magus, or mages, or magicians. He assumed that the different titles were based on where one came from. Noctis was sure there was more to it than that, but Ley did say that this book explained the basics. He continued to read, his interest growing as he continued. The book does not out right explain what mana is, but it did claim that mana existed everywhere, but the ability to perceive mana was what determined a mage. He was not sure what it felt like for others, since even in his past life he could at least determine his own mana. The kings of Lucis had the ability to use mana in certain ways, but he wondered what the difference was between using items like the ⟨⟨Ring of Lucii⟩⟩ or ⟨⟨Warp-Strikes⟩⟩ compared to real magic. He made a mental note to ask Master Ley about that next time.

Different magic drew from an elemental aspect. While they could all learn magic from each affinity, most had an element or elements they had an easier time learning. There were four main elemental affinities, fire, water, wind and earth. He pondered for a moment. ⟨⟨Elemancy⟩⟩ and the ability to draw from elemental veins found around the Eos was most likely a physical representation for this idea. A ⟨⟨fire vein⟩⟩ was obvious, but a ⟨⟨lightning vein⟩⟩ and an ⟨⟨ice vein⟩⟩ were more obscure, they were most likely mixtures of two of the affinities like fire and air. The book also claimed there were four main elements, so he could also assume there were others too, his mom confirmed there was magic that could heal, so maybe that was considered a different affinity.

Continuing with the section it explained that mages were ranked by number. A ranked one magician was the weakest and a rank nine magician was the strongest. Noctis doubted that that was where the ranking ended since it is explained that one is a ranked one magician by being able to perceive their own mana. Since Noctis was considered a Rank One mage, he highly doubted that Master Ley would only be considered a Rank Nine mage. Their difference in strength far exceeded a scale of one to nine this much Noctis could tell for certain.

He skimmed through the book and it talked briefly on what a higher ranked magus could do, but mostly explained the first four rankings. A rank one magus is able to perceive their own mana and mana in their surroundings. They had the ability to draw a minute amount of mana from their strongest elemental affinity. A rank two magus had the ability to draw more mana and to form a physical representation of this mana. So, he wondered what he was considered if he considered ⟨⟨Elemancy⟩⟩ and ⟨⟨Magic Flasks⟩⟩ he could be considered at least a rank four, as it is explained that a rank four is able to start mixing the different elements. It didn't say it in the book, but from his past life he knew that he didn't need to draw mana in from his surroundings to use the mana he had innately, and that his own mana would replenish over time. But when he was out of mana it had rather severe headaches and fatigue.

Noctis understood that the Lucian royal bloodline was special, but to what extent? From the ideas of this book, it made it seem like he was a borderline mages even before he understood any of this in his past life. In some ways he was a mage, being able to use mana, being able to materialize armaments, and drawing out power from elemental veins.

All this information just made him question every thing he knew about his family. What exactly were his ancestors?

Noctis took a look at his desktop clock, and sighed as he bookmarked his current progress in the book and hid in in his desk drawer. He'd rather not have to answer questions for the time being.

He had so many questions he needed answers to, but for now he needed to get ready to meet the others.

"Ignis, Gladio, what's up?" Noctis asked nonchalantly as he entered the training room where the two older boys were already waiting for him.

"Your highness," they both replied saluting to him as he came towards them.

The way they addressed him irked him. Well what could he expect, the Ignis and Gladio he knew knew him for years and these two that he's with have only know him for a day.

"Please, you two, just call me Noctis, or Noct. At least while we're training. I'd like it if we could all be friends if it's at least only here." Noctis admitted while rubbing the back of his neck.

The two other boys looked at one another, Gladio had a surprised look on his face, and Ignis, if he was surprised, retained an expressionless face.

"Sure, I'm all right with that Noct." Gladio finally said after a moment. "I'm a bit surprised honestly." He said with a sheepish expression. "You're nothing like I expected you to be."

Noctis raised a brow. "And what did you expect me to be like?" Well, really he already knew from their past life what Gladio's first impression of him was, but he might as well address the elephant in the room now.

"Well, you're only five, and you talk similar to Iggy over here, which means you're a lot smarter than I was giving you credit for before we met. So with this and additionally with you being a prince. I didn't think you'd be so…" he said as he pondered for a minute trying to find the right word.

"Humble," Ignis said finish his friend's sentence.

"Yeah, what he said!" Gladio said laughing as he patted Ignis on the back.

"However, with that being said, Prince Noctis, Gladio, in terms of us being friends or not, in the eye of the public as well as in other official settings we must dismiss that fact for that time being." Ignis said seriously.

"Oh lighten up, it'll be awhile before we fall into that situation. We're still only in training anyway, it'll be several years before we ever go anywhere that could be an 'official' event regarding Prince Noctis." Gladio said as he wrapped his arms around the twos shoulders.

Ignis gave the two a slight smile.

"Glad to see you three getting along." Gladio's father said from behind them.

The three of them turned and saluted, and he saluted back.

"Now, let's get to training. Today may be a bit more uncomfortable, so bare with it." He explained. "Today you'll be using weapons you are not comfortable with."

Gladio opened his mouth to say something, "no, you may not use an axe instead of a greatsword, they're practically the same thing." He said already knowing what Gladio was going to ask.

"Gladio, you are using dual daggers, Ignis you're using a greatsword and Prince Noctis…" Clarus pondered. "I still don't know much about your skill, but no swords, its obvious you are obviously adept with swords seeing as how you were able to hold off Gladio yesterday, so I'll let you decide what to use."

'Well this is a problem' Noctis thought. While he did have a greater mastery with swords than other weapons in his usual arsenal, he was fairly adept with other weapons too from his past life. However, he's only had one day of training. A mastery of one weapon probably made him seem to be a prodigy in the eyes of others, but if he showed how well versed he was in other weapons too many questions may be raised. "Yesterday, was most likely a fluke," Noctis said sheepishly running his hand through his hair. "I'm sure if we sparred again Gladio would kick my royal butt." He added. "Beginner's luck, I mean that was the first time I've ever held a sword."

Clarus gave him a skeptical look, as well as the other two, not fully believing his story. Damn, he had to watch himself more carefully from here on in. There was too many things he already showed. It was too late to dumb him self down to the intelligence of a four year old, and most likely too late to suddenly start sucking at using a sword, but if this worked than it'd be beneficial.

"That may be true, but I'm still going to say, for today, no swords." Clarus said. Noctis nodded in response. "But before we start with weapons, we must…" He grinned at the three of them, "run."

The memories of their run yesterday caused Noctis to grimace slightly. While the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ allowed his body to heal after a good nights rest, he was sure the other two still felt a bit of yesterday's work out. "Don't worry, it won't be like yesterday's." Clarus said causing the three, even the stoic Ignis, to sigh in relief.

"It'll be four laps, you need some time to practice with your weapons afterall!" Clarus exclaimed with a cruel laugh. "Now go! I expect all of you to be back in an hour and a half."

While four laps was significantly less than the ten they ran the other day, it was still a grueling workout. Noctis wiped away the sweat pouring out of his forehead as the three of them stopped in front of the castle where a maid standing with a tray of cups of water stood waiting for them. Much like the other day his personal maids would take shifts to bring them water so they don't faint due to dehydration on their long runs.

"Prince Noctis," The maid bowed as the three stopped for a drink of water. Noctis raised a brow in response. "When would you like to bathe tonight, so I may have it prepared for you?"

"Prepare it as we finish training, I would like to rest for awhile before." Noctis said affirmatively placing his now empty glass on the tray, the other two following suit. The young brunette maid nodded in response bowing and returning inside.

Gladio whistled. "You know, I can't help but envy you." He said throwing his arm around Noctis's shoulder. The prince looked at him curiously.

"You'll understand when you're older." He said with a grin on his face. "Cute young maids helping you bathe." He groaned. "Now the more I think about it the more I envy you."

Noctis blushed slightly. While yes he was technically still a child, he had the mind of a grown adult. In his past life he loved Luna, but that didn't mean he never appreciated another attractive woman. If Gladio ever discovered what he thought of Iris as the two grew older. Noctis inwardly shivered at the thought, although it did seem like Gladio didn't mind the two of them getting together.

"Gladio, you aren't that much older than me, but you say it like you already have experience." Noctis said in response as the three made their way back to their training room.

"I may only be a couple of years older than you, but that doesn't mean I haven't learned to appreciate women yet." He said with a laugh.

"Yes, we all know you're an odd child Gladio." Ignis teased with a smirk. Noctis nodded in agreement.

"Hey! That's not something I want to hear from either of you." The two gave him a curious look in response.

"If Ignis is considered a genius, than I don't even know what you could be called Noct. You're probably just as smart as Iggy, but your skill with a sword makes you even more odd. And don't you say it was beginner's luck none of us believed you when you tried that earlier." He said exasperated animatedly throwing his arms in the air as he talked.

"Just because we're smarter than you doesn't make us odd," Noctis said putting his hands on the back on his neck. "Some people say in a group of friends, there's always an odd one, but if you can't find the odd one it's probably because you are the odd one."

Ignis chuckled as Gladio gave him an irritated look. "Prince Noctis is correct in his assessment, Noctis and I are more alike, so it does make you odd when compared to us."

"I hate you two." Gladio retorted causing the other two to laugh.

The rest of training was a simple sparing session between Ignis and Gladio. Noctis watched every now and then, but Noctis's session consisted of him practicing with a small training gun. While he knew how to use one, he was never a sharpshooter like Prompto, and it was better he learn it now in the presence of a trainer than having it discovered it later that he somehow knew how to use a gun.

The weight of the gun was realistic from what he could remember, but the kickback from it was significantly less making it easier to use. The bullets obviously weren't real, or he was sure his mom would kill him before Ardyn even had a chance if somehow came to know of this.

It was the logical choice since he could 'miss' his target on purpose as opposed to him naturally remembering his form while using other weapons on instinct. He also made sure to ask Clarus for pointers and the older man was glad to help even though Noctis was definitely better at aiming than Clarus was, but as of right now he made sure to not show too much prowress with it.

Once the training session was over Noctis headed for his room after saying his goodbyes to the others. He stretched out his legs as he walked trying to shake off the fatigue from the long exercise.

Noctis wanted to go back to reading, but his maid was likely to come in soon to let him know his bath was ready, so he opted out of it and decided to crash on the floor on his room, not wanting to get his bed sheets dirty. He sat up from his position on the floor and closed his eyes; remember what the book told him. He knew how to control his inner mana, but it claimed that a level one magne was able to draw in mana from his surroundings.

Noctis relaxed remembering the process from the other night. He could feel his own mana moving throughout his body, it felt significantly different today than the day before. He wondered if that was simply because he discovered it and put it to use instead of letting it sit stagnant. He had yet to learn how to draw mana in from the outside, so he made due with playing around with his inner mana. He moved it throughout his body, much like he did the other day willing his mana to move to his arms and legs.

A knock on the door broke his concentration. "Enter," Noctis called, seeing the same maid from earlier enter his room.

"Your highness, your bath is ready for you." She said as she bowed.

"Thank you, I'll be out in a minute." He said. She nodded and bowed before leaving, closing the door behind her. Noctis got up from his spot on the floor and stretched himself out again before heading out the door.

She stood there waiting patiently for him, "your change of clothes are already prepared for you, your highness." She said following as he lead the way to the washroom. He said nothing in response as he entered the changing room. He stripped himself of his clothing placing it in a nearby hamper a bit more self conscious he was nude in front of the young maid.

She said nothing as the two made their way through the next set of doors and Noctis sat on the stool in front of the showerhead. The maid came forward taking it in her hands and turning on the water. The two waited for the water to warm up. Noctis took this time to ⟨⟨Scan⟩⟩ the maid in front of him, not wanting to find some of the more private information that his ⟨⟨Examine⟩⟩ skill somehow discovered. Her name was Felicia and apparently she was a couple of levels above him. He wondered if he was considered strong for his level. Well, that was obvious with some of the stat boosts he received from Anima. He took in her features as she stood beside him testing the warmth of the water; she had long light brown hair that she tied into a ponytail and her hair framed her slender face well. Like Gladio said earlier, she was quite pretty.

"May I ask you a question?" Noctis asked curiously as she started to scrub his back.

"Of course, your highness, as long as it is within my ability to answer." Surprise was evident in her voice, an obvious reaction since their relationship up til now hardly had any form of conversation especially something since it seemed personal.

"Why do you work here?"

She stopped scrubbing his back for a moment, pondering his question. "May I speak honestly, your highness?"

"I would feel insulted if you did not." He replied.

"My family has been in service to the Caelum family for a long time, I am just following in the steps I know. The benefits are quite good as well. Great housing, food, and education to boot."

"I see, thank you for your honesty."

"Why the question, you highness, if I may ask?"

"I simply thought that before a woman saw me naked, I would know her just a bit better." He answered jokingly causing her to giggle.

"There's no need for that your highness, I'm only doing my duty."

He shrugged, "if you don't mind when we're alone you can call me by name, if that doesn't bother you." He said his speech becoming more informal. "Formalities bother me, so I ask you only use it when it is needed."

"If it pleases you, Noctis." She said rather fondly.

"It does." He replied curtly.

"You know, for someone so young I didn't think you would be so charming." She giggled. "It is obvious that you're different than most children your age; you talk almost as if you're someone my age."

He laughed loudly, while panicking a bit inwardly. "Do I look like someone your age?" He joked.

She pinched his cheek, "Nope, you're much cuter." This caused him to blush slightly. While he knew he was popular in his past life, he knew it was mainly because he was a prince, but it was a bit different being flirted with when he knew she had no ulterior motive.

"I hope you don't find this rude, but how old are you exactly?" Yeah he knew he could look at his information himself, but there were certain things he didn't want to accidently see.

"You know you're not supposed to ask a woman for her age, Noctis." She said with a small 'hmph' following.

"Sorry," he replied, his eyes closed as she washed his hair.

"I only kid, Noctis, I just turned 10 not too long ago."

"10? You don't find this situation embarrassing? I thought women were- you know shy about all of this. At least from what I read in books." He added, trying not to be suspicious.

"What kind of books are they letting you read, Noctis?" She giggled. "I never said it wasn't embarrassing at first, but it got easier. When you grow older I am sure you won't have me doing this for you, for obvious reasons." She said teasingly.

Noctis closed his eyes as she washed the shampoo out of his hair and replacing it with conditioner.

"Well, I don't look forward to that time. I'll miss having a cute girl with me in here." He said, a bit out of character.

"Then when I'm gone, you'll just have to wait til you get married."

Noctis felt his face heat up as he imagined his older self and Lunafreya in this situation. He coughed loudly to himself trying his best to shake off his perverse imagination.

"You definitely don't act your age, Prince Noctis although that isn't a bad thing." She said casually as she massaged the conditioner in his hair. "Not too long ago, you seemed like a normal four year old, not considering your status of course, but it seemed like you simply changed over night. If someone heard that I was conversing, so casually with you they would think I went crazy or something. You were always very reserved and quiet, but it is nice to see your come out of your shell a bit. I've heard from the Head Maid that even their majesties are surprised by your change in behavior."

Noctis cringed slightly, he knew he was acting out of character, but to hear her confirm it like that kind of brought him to reality. He had many regrets in his past life, and one of them was not getting to know the people sworn to protect him and care for him in the past. He acted cold and distant especially after the death of his mother. After the attack on Insomnia, every one including her died doing their duty. In his past life he couldn't remember ever talking to her unless he needed too, nor could he even remember her name. Hell, he wouldn't even know it now if not for the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩.

Noctis clenched his fist; he was going to do his best to protect every body, including her. He quickly shrugged off his current emotions and smiled, "I don't know what came over me, honestly, I just felt like I needed to change and accept my duty as Prince." He said honestly.

She washed the conditioner out of his hair. "That's a large responsibility to bear, Noctis, at any age nevertheless at the age of four," her voice was soft trying to sound soothing. "Never forget your have people here at the castle who live to serve you, if you ever need help do not be afraid to ask." She turned off the showerhead and Noctis looked up at her as she pet his head. "And as your attendant if you ever need anything, no matter how small, I will do my best to help you along the way." She said with a sweet smile. "Now go ahead and head to the bath, its nice and warm, I will be back when it is dinner time or if you call." She said, as she stood from headed for the door to leave.

"Thanks-" Noctis said earnestly his eyes look up to her name.

"Felicia," His personal maid said, assuming he didn't know her name.

"Thank you, Felicia," He said giving her a genuine smile.

She shot him a heartwarming smile and left, leaving him alone as he entered the nearby bath to soak.

Noctis closed his eyes and lay back in the water. He's only been back for a couple of days and so much has already happened. Meeting Master Ley was a coincidence and if it wasn't for the ⟨⟨Anima System⟩⟩ he most likely would have missed him again. This was an opportunity he couldn't miss for obvious reasons. One of his strengths in his past life was the use of his ancestors ⟨⟨Royal Arms⟩⟩, but he could only have access to them if he was considered King of Lucis. While his title as ⟨⟨True King⟩⟩ was obtained before his adventure started, there was one thing he knew he couldn't get around. The use of ⟨⟨Royal Arms⟩⟩ will only be enabled if he lets his father die.

* * *

 **Hi friends, made it to the end did ya? I hope you all liked it. I'm sorry bout the long wait again. Introducing the topic of magic was hard for me. I read a lot of manga, light novels and manhuas for a concept that I really liked and I went with this one. i hope you all liked it as well. Let me know what you think!**

 **Leave a fave, follow, review or whatever. Your opinions matter, while I know that I shouldn't write basely to make y'all happy I won't disregard any of your comments. No reviewer comments in this one, but yeah. I self-edited it so there are probably a lot of mistakes still left, but hey I tried. Love you all ^.^**


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